Research and Policy Project Manager, Work Based Learning Labs (WBLL)
Job Description
About HERE to HERE:
HERE to HERE enhances paths to rewarding careers for young people by uniting employers, educators and community-based organizations in the Bronx and across New York City. Our vision is a thriving, inclusive economy, in the Bronx and elsewhere, driven by meaningful partnerships between young people and employers. We work closely with high schools, postsecondary programs (and particularly CUNY and its Bronx campuses), community-based organizations, public officials, and employers.
Our goal is to build partnerships and policies that help employers identify the talent they need to thrive and ensure every student develops the passion, experience, and professional network to succeed in a career of their choice.
Over the past three years, HERE to HERE has successfully established itself as the intermediary that champions young people by working to redefine the systems that unfairly burden Black and Brown students as they pursue their career ambitions. We understand that the issues are complex and interrelated. That’s why we create effective partnerships, prioritize the thoughts and opinions of young people, and mobilize people and organizations—demonstrating how our collective efforts to create a just and inclusive talent system will create lasting change. How we reinvent these systems determines our future.
HERE to HERE’s priorities are to elevate student career success as the shared and primary priority of students, families, communities, educational institutions, public agencies, employers, and elected officials and to make best practice common practice through:
- Adoption of the Key Distinguishers by practitioners, policymakers, and funders.
- Demonstrate and elevate exemplars in braided pathways.
- Building the narrative and case for prioritizing student career success and work-based learning.
- Codifying and demonstrating authentic co-creation with students to create best practice and mobilize champions.
- Focusing on organizational well-being and sustainability, including deepening our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging practices.
Reports to:
Director, 9-16 Educational Partnerships
To Apply:
Apply directly online through the HERE to HERE Career portal: https://www.heretohere.org/about/careers/
Please be sure to include a cover letter and resume. We may request writing or curriculum samples during the interview process. We will be reviewing candidates until we find the right person for the role.
Position Summary:
The Project Manager, WBLL will forge and maintain relationships with public high schools towards the goal of connecting high school students to interest-driven, career-focused learning opportunities. A HERE to HERE Project Manager works with partner schools across The Bronx to provide training, resources, and support in service of strengthening school capacity.
The Work-Based Learning Lab (WBLL) team partners with schools, employers and CBO’s to braid work-based learning opportunities into academic experiences. The team works to develop staff capacity, incubate ideas, and empower educational institutions to integrate work based learning (WBL) through HERE to HERE’s Key Distinguishers. Our goal is to demonstrate scalable strategies that are student-centered and based on best-practices from the field.
The Project Manager, WBLL serves as a critical lever to strengthen the capacity of schools to integrate work based learning (WBL) and deepen career readiness efforts. To achieve this goal, the Project Manager will:
- deepen WBL implementation within high schools through HERE to HERE’s Key Distinguishers
- serves as key liaison between high schools, both staff and students, and the world outside the school.
- act as a thought partner to principals, teachers, school-based Work-Based Learning Coordinators (WBLCs) and works in tandem with HERE to HERE’s WBLL Team.
- promote reflection, provide guidance and structure where needed, and advance school goals through collaboration and continuous improvement.
- ensure high-quality, capacity building, support through co-planning, resource coordination, and guidance.
- design learning communities for educators to learn from each other, strengthen their knowledge, solve problems of practice, and advocate for the system change work that is needed to build capacity within their schools.
- demonstrate and model a passion for thought leadership, work based learning, and education reform.
This is a full-time overtime-exempt position. Since the start of the ongoing pandemic, HERE to HERE staff have been working from home. When the office reopens, this role will be based out of the HERE to HERE office, located in The Bronx, and will travel throughout NYC via public transportation to meetings and events.
We are looking for someone who is passionate about our mission and will thrive in a high energy, dynamic team like ours. And we mean TEAM. We collaborate, engage in healthy debate, jump in wherever our skills are needed, we all lead and follow. We are a group of unique individuals who truly believe in this work.
Position Responsibilities:
- Co-plan and facilitate professional developments for school with school-based Work-Based Learning Coordinators
- Provide policy guidance and technical assistance to school based practitioners
- Support the development and facilitation H2H Learning Communities (quarterly convenings of H2H network schools where educators share best practices and work collaboratively to improve WBL efforts)
- Develop school level support plans
- Support program evaluation processes and provide feedback on program effectiveness to site and program administrators.
- Establishes and maintains clear communication and cooperative working relationships with a variety of educators and stakeholders.
- Support the coordination of career day/opportunity fairs
- Assist schools in deepening work based learning efforts and activities in alignment with HERE to HERE’s Key Distinguishers
- Support school-based WBLCs in operationalizing and managing Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
- Works with educational institutions and H2H partners to capturing data around work-based learning goals
- Work in coordination with Work Based Learning Labs (WBLL) team members to develop WBL professional learning opportunities.
- Facilitate professional development to network and affiliate schools and CBOs
- Identify and share best practices across the network
- Prepares reports, maintains program files and record keeping systems for accountability.
- Support implementation of the ImBlaze platform in schools by training students and staff
- Create and support student programming and recruitment for HERE to HERE events
- Provide technical support in work-based learning platforms
Required Attributes, Attitudes, Skills & Knowledge
As part of this team, you will be most successful if you possess most of the following:
- Experience in youth development or school-based work; BA in related field or 3-4 years equivalent real-world of experience in an educational setting preferred.
- Knowledge of approaches that connect the developmental needs of adolescents to real world learning. Knowledge of strategies to explore personal passions and interests, draw upon the inquiry process to further understandings, and model living as a lifelong learner.
- Experience communicating effectively with school leadership and staff; must enjoy working closely with school-based leaders and practitioners. Appreciation for school specific culture, programming and workflows.
- Knowledge of principles and practices of instruction, curriculum, professional development and assessment. Ability to design and support implementation of school-wide systems and structures. Ability to motivate, challenge and guide others in the improvement of educational goals.
- Ability to plan, organize and conduct coaching activities, instructional activities, develop lesson plans, design curriculum, observe lessons, provide feedback, and coach teachers.
- Ability to utilize reflective coaching in content and pedagogy. Ability to adapt generalizable goals to specific school contexts. Knowledge of coaching models and resources for continuous improvement.
- Experience in communicating effectively with young people; must enjoy working with high school youth. Appreciation for the unique life experiences of each student.
- Communicates thoughtfully and empathetically. Ability to effectively present information both orally and written to individuals, public groups, employers, and students and their parents, with experience in strengths/asset-based language;
- Excellent time management skills and ability to multi-task and prioritize work in a small, nimble organization. Follows through on all projects and communicates in a timely fashion.
- Knowledge of database, spreadsheet, and word processing software as well as cloud-based programs. Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and Google Suite required..
- Ability to work with multiple constituent school sites, primarily in The Bronx, including travel by public transportation
- Unwavering commitment to service and social justice; willing to engage with and support colleagues and partners in addressing systemic barriers to youth success and the root causes of racial inequity.
Compensation and Benefits:
This is a full-time overtime-exempt position. HERE to HERE staff have worked remotely since March 2020. When the office opens, this role will be based out of the HERE to HERE office, located in The Bronx and will travel throughout NYC via public transportation to meetings and events.
HERE to HERE offers extremely generous medical (including sponsored dependent and family plans), dental and vision insurance, Employee Assistance Program, 401K match, generous paid time off benefits (currently 20 days PTO and 13 paid holidays), and paid parental leave.
HERE to HERE is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: HERE to HERE is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at HERE to HERE are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. HERE to HERE will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. HERE to HERE encourages applicants of all ages. HERE to HERE is committed to building a diverse staff and encourages applications from people of color.
